• Loyalist forces begin fight back against rebels• Saif al-Islam appears in Tripoli despite claims of his arrest• Gaddafi's son Mohammed escapes from house arrest• Saadi Gaddafi is third son to be captured, reports say• Libyan officer 'sent to bomb Arab embassy in Tunis'• Pentagon: US believes Gaddafi is still in Libya

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The West has to take responsibility for clearing up its mess in Libya.

04:55 Wen Zhongliang, deputy head of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce trade department, says China hopes to be able to continue buying oil from Libya after the conflict ends. His statement follows comments by an official at the Libyan rebel oil firm, Agoco, who said that Russian and Chinese firms may lose out on oil contracts for failing to support the rebellion against long-time leader Gaddafi.

04:40 Some footage here of Alex Crawford, Sky News' award-winning war correspondent and thought to be the only Western television journalist to witness the liberation of Tripoli, delivering a piece to camera while coming under sniper fire on the froad from Zawiyah to Tripoi.

04:34 The rebel leadership has reacted with shock to news that Saif al-Islam is free. The leadership's spokesman, Sadeq al-Kabir, had no explanation and could only say, "This could be all lies."

He could not confirm whether Saif al-Islam escaped rebel custody, but he did say that another one of Gaddafi's sons, Mohammed, had escaped the home arrest that rebels had placed him in a day earlier.

04:15 The BBC's Matthew Price says it is not clear which side is winning the battle for Tripoli. While rebels are in control of some areas, Gaddafi forces have been reinforced and have managed to cut some rebel supply lines. The loyalists are fighting back, he said, and casualties are rising.

03:55 Tripoli's only working hospital has been overwhelmed with casualties, a doctor has told Sky News. Dr Mohmed Harisha said some patients had been waiting for three days for treatment because of staff shortages.

Not enough doctos in our hospital here. We need more doctors, surgeon doctor, orthopaedic doctor and anaethesia doctor. We need nurse, we need technician for x-ray, we need everywhere. Everybody can give us help, who will come here.

03:30 Nato has been dropping leaflets on Tripoli calling on pro-Gaddafi fighters to lay down their weapons and join the rebels, according to Al Jazeera. One of the leaflets urges regime soldiers: "Return to your family and serve your country by laying down your weapons, leaving your post and respecting the right of all Libyans to live in peace."

03:08Matthew Chance, a CNN reporter, says the power is finally back on at the Hotel Rixos in Tripoli:

02:48 Outside Tripoli, rebels in Misurata claim to have intercepted a column of troops from the city of Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown and a bastion of his regime.

"The convoy consisted of three buses and a number of SUVs loaded with mercenaries and soldiers," said the statement by the Information Centre of the Military Council of Misurata, reported by AFP.

Rebel forces "destroyed one of the buses completely and the rest of the troops managed to escape back to Sirte," the statement said.

02:33 Meanwhile, Libya's former prime minister has said that Gaddafi is unlikely to ever give himself up to the rebels. Mustapha Ben Halim told CNN:

He will not admit defeat. He, I think, he might go outside Libya and sort of say that he's going to continue this fight. But I doubt this guy will get reason, get the real thinking and that the circus is finished.

02:12 More on Saif al-Islam's statement to foreign journalists in Tripoli: "This is a war of technology and electronics to cause chaos and terror in Libya. They also brought in armed gangs by sea and by road."

Saif al-Islam greets supporters in Tripoli

01:50 Video from Tripoli shows Saif al-Islam greeting supporters from an armoured convoy on the streets of the city. CNN reports he said the government had "broken the spines of those rats and gangsters," referring to the rebels. Asked about the International Criminal Court's warrant for his arrest for crimes against humanity, he said: "To hell with the ICC." Asked if his father was safe and in the capital he said: "Of course".

Footage here from Al Jazeera:

01:29 AFP has quoted Saif al-Islam denying he had been arrested. "I am here to refute the lies," he said. "Tripoli is under our control. Everyone should rest assured. All is well in Tripoli."

Saif Gaddafi: I am here to refute all the allegations. NATO & the West have advanced technology, they sent Libyans messages I don't know how

00.49 @CNNValencia has tweeted on journalists' encounter with Saif al-Islam:

@MChanceCNN just spoke to Gadhafi’s son Saif al-Islam whio said his father Muamar & several daughters were safe in Tripoli #CNN

00.44 AFP are reporting that Saif al-Islam, one of Col Gaddafi's sons, has not been detained by rebels as earlier suggested. Several journalists, including an AFP correspondent, saw Saif in Col Gaddafi's residential complex in the capital. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had earlier said the 39-year-old was arrested and in detention.

23.53 Libya's US ambassador has confirmed that Mohammed Gaddafi has escaped from the hands of the rebels. Col Gaddafi's son was arested in Tripoli on Monday but Ali Suleiman Aujali said the leader's eldest son had since gone missing.

23.28 Al-Arabiya television is reporting that Nato is bombing Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.

In the coming days, Obama will be praised fulsomely by the Democratic establishment and the mainstream media. But unlike the assassination of Osama bin Laden, this limited and unexciting war has been largely ignored by the American people. The collapse of this absurd man’s squalid regime is not the vote-winner the President so desperately needs.

22.29 Michael Burleigh, the esteemed historian, haswritten a news review piecefor The Daily Telegraph in which he wonders how united any new Libyan regime would be. He writes:

The 31-person National Transitional Council consists of prominent defectors from the regime, like the ex-justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil; or middle-class opponents of it such as the Benghazi lawyer Abdel Hafiz Ghoga; plus 10 members representing ''youth’’ and women. How long will they remain a united front once their target has been removed?

22.26 Mohammed Gaddafi, the oldest son of Col Muammar Gaddafi, may have fled his house arrest, according to reports.

22.16 A rebel source has told AFP that Mohammed, one of Col Gaddafi's sons, has escaped. Mohammed was being held under house arrest earlier today and was giving an interview to Al-Jazeera when gunfire was heard in the background. The interview was then cut.

22.09 Al-Jazeera is reporting that one of two bodies found by rebels could be that of Col Gaddafi's youngest son, Khamis - leader of the notorious Khamis brigade.

21.08 Damien McElroy reports from Tripoli:

After heavy explosions, an enormous fire, firefights, including a set of attacks by Appache helicopters, central Tripoli appears to have gone quiet tonight, power is limited to a generator. There are no cars on the streets but the rebels have claimed another breakthrough by taking the airport.

20.41 Al-Jazeera is reporting that a Nato jet has intercepted a scud missile fired from Sirat. Stay tuned for more as we try to corroborate reports.

19.31 Rob Crilly reports from the ground in Benghazi:

One or two nerves tonight in Benghazi about what comes next. One resident pointed out to me that with Gaddafi in power the various rebel militias were united in a common struggle, but with him gone they may start to split, sparking a power struggle within the opposition. One Westerner I met has even taken to carrying a handgun down the back of his trousers. But it’s all quiet for the moment as Libyans break their Ramadan fast.

19.28Barack Obama has been speaking in a TV address. Here's a selection of the comments he made:

Over the last several days the situation has reached a tipping point. The people of Tripoli have risen up to claim their freedom. Now the celebrations that we've seen show the pursuit of human dignity is far stronger than any dictator.

I want to stress this is not over. We have reports of regime elements threatening to continue fighting.

The TNC is a credible representative of the Libyan people. As we move forward, the opposition should continue to take pivotal steps to bring about a transition that is... just.

Our diplomats will work with the TNC... and we will support them with the assets of the Gaddafi regime that were frozen last year.

NATO has once more proven that it is the most capable alliance in the world.

19.08 German Chancellor Angela Merkel says more bloodshed must be prevented in Libya as Gaddafi's hold on power loosens.

Today is the day when we see the beginning of the breakdown of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, his power begins to crumble.

It is very important that we make sure to prevent further bloodshed.

It is good that the Contact Group will meet in Paris to coordinate the first steps. We need to talk with future leaders, the Transitional Council of rebels, we have to talk about what this society is going to look like.

The Transitional National Council have a committee in place, including representatives in Tripoli itself, tasked with dealing with the essential priorities: security, electricity, water etc.

Their next move will be to start a process of constitutional development aimed at putting an elected government in place within 20 months.

A draft constitutional charter is in circulation, but the TNC have held back until they can bring in representatives from Tripoli and other areas still under Gaddafi and claim to represent the whole country. They have had advice from the UN, the US and the UK, but the document in circulation is their own.

A lot of criticism of the TNC has appeared in the international media. My judgment is that these criticisms have little or no basis.

The tendency to knock the TNC is linked to the assumption that the West, or Nato, or Britain is responsible for what happens next. We are not.

As soon as the current fighting is over the UN mandate expires and we have no legal, political or moral basis for continued intervention except at the invitation of Libya. Just as well; experience suggests that if we were to continue to meddle we would make things worse.

18.39 Reports now circulating that the bodies of Khamis Gaddafi and intelligence chief Abdalla Sanussi have been found. More on that as it comes in.

Khamis Gaddafi

18.35 Al Jazeera is reporting that Muammar Gaddafi's son Mohammed has escaped house arrest with the help of regime forces after his capture by rebels yesterday.

18.30 Barack Obama is to make a televised address at 2pm EDT (7pm BST).

18.15 South African broadcaster SABC is reporting that Gaddafi has been offered asylum in Angola. It's not clear how he would get out of Libya even if he decided he was prepared to leave.

18.07 We're trying to be a part of this victory, the doctor tells Sky but he looks close to tears.

18.02 Sky's Alex Crawford is reporting from a hospital in Tripoli. A doctor tells her there is a severe shortages of oxygen and blood for patients. He sounds very emotional: "Please for all the Libyan people who can hear us, please come in, donate your blood, help clean the hotel and transport the victims. We're by ourselves, we're treating civilians here."

He says a few moments ago a three-year-old boy was brought in with serious injuries. So far the child is doing well but he says there aren't enough supplies to support patients.

17.59 Speaking earlier, Mustapha Abdul Jalil, the head of the Transitional National Council said he hopes Gaddafi will be taken alive.

17.39 The African Union will hold an emergency summit on Friday, where African heads of state and government will gather to discuss the situation in Libya.

17.35 We're hearing reports that the power has gone out at the Rixos hotel where many international journalists are based. If it is out in the hotel then it's likely to be out in other areas of Tripoli. CNN's Matthew Chance tweets from the hotel, which is near Gaddafi's compound:

Almost 1300 people have been killed in Libya in the past 24 hours; almost equal to the death toll of the brutal, three-week Israeli Operation Cast Lead massacre in Gaza. In the case of Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the world to demonstrate, but now, we celebrate for Tripoli.

What is it that we are celebrating? Are we celebrating the NATO bombs that carved out a path for the rebels we have trained? Are we celebrating the blood-soaked routes that they took into the capital? Are we wishing for further blood to be spilt in Tripoli, as armed anti-Gaddafi forces clash with an armed and civilian population?

We've asked McIntyre over Twitter where his death toll of 1,300 comes from and he hasn't responded. It appears that he's just accepted the figure quoted last night by Moussa Ibrahim, the official spokesman for the Gaddafi regime.

UPDATE 17.33: McIntyre has respond to my colleague by direct message. He says the figure came from "a report from a journalist on the ground on Russia Today".

17.28 Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has called on the rebels to extradite Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber.

17.19 A journalist with AFP describes the scene in Tripoli as evening sets in.

There was confusion over whether to travel quickly on the main thoroughfares, exposed to snipers in tall buildings, or slowly through the warren of tiny streets, without knowing what awaits around the next corner.

Travelling across the city was extremely difficult, with snipers, mortars and heavy machineguns echoing down sunlit streets.

Among the high-rise buildings along the corniche, a lone cyclist braved the sniper fire, possibly acting as a scout, as the whistle of bullets cut through the silent city.

Civilians were exhausted after staying up most of Monday night, enjoying the food, drink and cigarettes that they must resist during daylight hours of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, despite the burning heat.

17.12 As well as patrolling the skies, a 15-ship Nato fleet is in the central Mediterranean to enforce the UN arms embargo.

On Sunday, 14 vessels were hailed to determine destination and cargo. Two were boarded but none diverted. A total of 2,276 vessels have been hailed, 228 boarded and ten diverted since operations began.

17.08 Our US editor Toby Harnden tweets from Washington, where it appears holidays are more sacred than in this country.

17.00 Nato's news blog is tweeting statistics on the contribution of different nations to the Libya war effort. France flew the most sorties, followed by the US.

Moussa Ibrahim, the smiling – but always angry – government spokesman with the thinning hair, became a regular fixture on news bulletins from the first week of the uprising. His current whereabouts is not clear, like that of his boss.

Most evenings he lectured foreign journalists and their viewers from a podium in a conference room at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli on the iniquities of Nato and the West. Last seen on Sunday night, he argued right until the end that all was well with regime defences in the capital.

Many outside dubbed him "Comical Moussa", in tribute to his Iraqi predecessor, nicknamed Comical Ali, who played a similar role during the fall of Baghdad in 2003, insisting Saddam Hussein's forces were on the verge of triumph even as American tanks were at the gates of the city.

16.40 A Libyan soldier was sent to bomb an Arab embassy in Tunisia according to the country's military. Apparently the officer, Abd Erazzak Al-Rajhi, turned himself in rather than go through with the mission, which appears to have been a final act of retribution by the Gaddafi regime. It's not clear which embassy he was targeting or if the mission was intended to be a suicide bombing.

Libyan state television has routinely accused Qatar and the United Arab Emirates of being "traitors" for supporting the rebels.

16.38There's a good photo by the Associated Press's Dario Lopez-Mills of the media working in the Rixos hotel

16.23 Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary general, is speaking from New York. He calls on Gaddafi's troops to "cease violence immediately and make way for a smooth transition". He says a UN special envoy will travel to Qatar to meet with the rebel leaders.

16.14 A Pentagon spokesman is briefing the press in Washington. He says US intelligence agencies do not believe Gaddafi has left Libya and says reconnaissance missions will continue in the coming days.

He adds that the US is unlikely to deploy any ground troops to help with a post-Gaddafi transition.

16.08 If confirmed, Saadi's capture would make him the third of Gaddafi's sons to be arrested by the rebels. Mohammed was taken from his home in Tripoli last night while Saif was captured and may face a war crimes trial at The Hague.

15.59 Gaddafi's son Saadi has been captured by the rebels, according to Al Arabiya TV. We'll bring you more details as we get them.

15.45 The Independent's Richard Hall tweets this picture of people embracing outside the Libyan embassy in London.

15.31 Update on oil prices: this morning brent crude was trading at $105/barrel (down 4$ since Friday) as investors anticipated that oil exports would resume as the regime falls. Eight hours later, the price has risen to $107 - an indication that the markets are becoming concerned that Gaddafi may be able to hold on for a while yet.

15.29 Al Arabiya is reporting that the fight rebels forces have clashed with the government's troops in Boukamash, about 17 km from the Tunisian border. Gaddafi forces apparently shelled the advancing rebels to stop them reaching the border crossing of Ras Jadir - more than 50 miles from the fighting in Tripoli.

Last night in a highly volatile situation, the BBC team in Zawiya, along with other major broadcasters judged it was not safe to continue with the rebels on the road into Tripoli.

Alex Crawford of Sky News took a different view and has rightly been praised for some compelling coverage. I congratulate her on her tenacity - it made for extraordinary television. But to illustrate the dangers facing those in Libya, this morning that same BBC team, led by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes came under fire as they entered Tripoli.

15.18 Sky's Alex Crawford has spent the afternoon in one of Tripoli's overstretched hospitals:

15.15 Libyan embassies all over the world are now flying the revolutionary flag. In Prague, they burned a portrait of Gaddafi and issued a statement saying: "We continue to represent our homeland in the Czech Republic like all other diplomatic missions across the globe."

Wonderful place for the end of a regime, collapsed walls and buildings, tents with electric hook-up, and underground bunkers filled with screaming people (wish they'd quiet down so we could finish our skype session with CNN). best feature is the 'Hall of Horror', that basically is G's master bedroom filled with mirrors.

14.59 Henry Samuel takes the political temperature in France, where Sarkozy is getting credit for his aggresive stance with the regime.

He’s playing it cool at Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s family Riviera retreat in Cap Nègre, but President Nicolas Sarkozy will be relishing the imminent demise of the Gaddafi regime as silencing many critics who accused him of getting involved in a fresh Middle Eastern quagmire.

He was humiliatingly slow to catch on to the Tunisian uprising, with his foreign minister of the time even offering tear gas to its outgoing dictator.

But five months after “Rambo” - as some of the French press branded him back then - announced French jets had launched the first raid on the Libyan leader, even some Socialists like Jacques Lang are now coming out today to Sarko credit where credit is due.

“Today, everyone can be thankful that France grew in stature by committing itself with determination and success to win the battle for Libya’s freedom. We should give credit to those who inspired international action at the United Nations.”

Mustapha Abdul Jalil didn’t even crack a smile as the opposition leader declared the end of the Gaddafi era at a press conference in Benghazi. His address was full of the rhetoric that international observers want to hear, pleas to his militias not to seek revenge in Tripoli, but instead to lay the foundations for a just democracy. The rest of his words were thin on detail however. There was no clear plan for securing the capital or any timetable for the rebel council to take up position in Tripoli. Jalil’s sombre mood shows he knows that he still faces his most difficult test – uniting a country while keeping his fractured rebel alliance together.

14.49 Libyan state television is off the air, with rebels reporting they have seized control of its headquarters. The state broadcaster has studiously ignored the rebel advance, broadcasting a documentary about heart disease instead of covering the fighting.

"The revolutionaries stormed the television building ... after killing the soldiers surrounding it. It is now under their control," a rebel spokesman said

14.45 Damien McElroy files from the heart of Tripoli:

Heavy artillery fire can be heard sweeping across Tripoli's harbour as rebels fan out across the city. Smoke can be seen rising from at least three positions across the city, including two from the vicinity of Col Gaddafi's Bab al-Azaziya compound.

British military intelligence - and in particular GCHQ, the signals intelligence agency - is understood to be monitoring his communications systems.

The dictator of almost 42 years was last heard by the outside world making a series of desperate radio broadcasts, calling on the women of Tripoli to defend their city against the rebels.

Libyan Prime Minister Al Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi and the head of the country's television union, Abdallah Mansour, have escaped to the Tunisian island of Djerba.

14.14 I can't verify this footage but it appears to show rebel forces preparing to make a sea landing in Tripoli last night. Interesting that they are still wearing balaclavas - a possible sign that they are still frightened of reprisals against their families, even at this late stage.

14.09 Interesting to see the list of those members of the regime with sanctions placed on them. Eleven of them are members of the Gaddafi family.

14.07 Sky Newsjust referenced a claim that around 65,000 troops are still loyal to the regime. It's not clear where that figure has come from but it would seem surprisingly high.

14.05 A spokesman for Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said the League offers its "full solidarity" to the leadership of the National Transitional Council.

14.01 A Nato source has told Reuters that the Alliance did not coordinate its airstrikes with the rebels as they advanced on Tripoli. But the rebel offensive has forced loyalist commanders to deploy thier heacy weaponry in the open, where they have been easier target for Nato aircraft.

There is a misconception that NATO was working with the rebels in this most recent push towards Tripoli. What happened was the push by the opposition forced Gaddafi's heavy equipment to come into the open, equipment that he had been hiding ... When [government forces] lost ground they used heavy equipment to shell villages they had lost.

13.55 Jalil says hehopes Gaddafi is taken alive so he can be put on trial for his crimes. He says the dictator will be given a fair trial but has "no idea" how he will defend himself.

13.52 Jalil,who is brisk and businesslike at his press conference, says Gaddafi's sons Saif and Mohammed, are "in the control of revolutionaries". He says one Mohammed's guards was injured as rebels stormed his house.

13.39 The Libyan people never submitted to Gaddafi since the first year of the coup, Jalil says.

God has chosen that Gaddafi's end should be at the hands of these youths so they can join the Arab Spring. I saw now with all transparency that the era of Gaddafi is over. Libyans must know the coming period will not be a bed of roses. We face many challenges and have many responsibilities, beginning with the healing of wounds and the joining of hands.

13.36Jalil says the new Libya will be a "moderate Islamic nation that respects human rights and humanity". He calls for his troops to respect both private and public poverty.

13.33 NTC chairman Mustapha Abdul Jalil is speaking from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. He says there will be fair trials and calls for "tolerance, forbearance and forgiveness". He tells rebel fighters not to "take the law into their own hands and let justice take its course".

13.28 Reuters says that Libyan Prime Minister Al Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoud arrived on the Tunisian island of Djerba late on Sunday, just as rebel forces were making their breakthrough into Tripoli.

Apparently Libyan opposition supporters attemtped to storm the hotel he's staying at when they learned of his presence.

13.25 Nick Clegg was on Sky a moment ago and was asked for his reaction to fast-moving events in Libya.

It's very, very dramatic. I think it would have been simply unimagineable even just a few months ago to people who have been living under Gaddafi's tyranny for decades. But while the Gaddafi era is coming to an end the really hard work is just beginning.

The president called on forces still loyal to the regime to turn their back on the criminal and cynical blindness of their leader by immediately ceasing fire, giving up their arms and turning themselves in to the legitimate Libyan authorities.

13.12 Sky's Alex Crawford tweets on the deteriorating medical situation in the capital.

A little earlier it was announced that the International Organisation for Migration had dispatched a ship to Tripoli to evacuate migrants. More than 5,000 Bangladeshis, Filipinos and Egyptians have asked the migration agency for help to leave the capital.

13.10 One of Gaddafi's sons, al-Mutassim, is in the leader's Bab al-Azizya compound in Tripoli, Al Arabiya television reports. There is strong suspicion that the dictator himself is inside - hence the trenchant defence by loyalist troops.

The speed of the advance by rebel forces on the Libyan capital Tripoli has caught everyone by surprise, not least David Cameron who has had to interrupt yet another holiday to rush back to London to chair an emergency meeting on the Libyan crisis.

The arrival of rebel forces in Tripoli’s Green Square (for how much longer will that name survive, I wonder?) has also caught Nato by surprise. Only last week senior Nato officials were cautioning me not to expect a rapid advance on Tripoli after the rebels’ success in taking the key coastal city of Zawirah. And yet here they are just a few days later, hammering at the gates of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s citadel

12.57 Nick Meo has reached the western outskirts of Tripoli.

The atmosphere here is euphoric, exactly as it was in Benghazi in February when I was there following its liberation. The rebels are chanting "freedom" in English and we're seeing lots of torn down green flags on the side of the road. At one checkpoint we drove over a picture of Gaddafi in the road, put their by the rebels to show their contempt.Overhead we can hear Nato jets streaking by.

12.52 Libyan Prime Minister Al Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi and the head of the country's television union, Abdallah Mansour, are on the Tunisian island of Djerba, Al Jazeera television reports.

With the impending downfall of Muammar Gaddafi, I imagine the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, is a very nervous man today. Megrahi was released to the Libyan government almost exactly two years ago by Scottish authorities on “compassionate grounds”, supposedly dying of cancer with just a few months to live, and was feted like a hero on his return to Tripoli. He has since staged something resembling a “miraculous” recovery, and is alive and well and expected to survive for several more years. Under Gaddafi’s patronage al-Megrahi has been living a life of luxury in Libya, frequently wheeled out as a ghastly cause célèbre by the old regime, in every effort to cause offence to the US and Britain.

12.37 TheNTC have released a draft of their constitutional charter. Among the articles most encouraging for the West are those that mention a "peaceful and democratic circulation of power" and a system "based on law rather than tribal, pride or personal loyalty".

It also says "The state shall guarantee for woman all opportunities which shall allow her to participate entirely and actively in political economic and social spheres."

Others may be dismayed to read that sharia law will be implemented.

12.29 Rob Crilly files from Benghazi where more details are emerging of how the rebels were able to step up their assault over the weekend.

They were keen to get the job done by the end of the month, ousting Gaddafi before Eid and before the regime could celebrate the anniversary of Gaddafi's rise to power on September 1.

In the past couple of weeks the rebels have received night vision googles which they said were essential for dealing with the snipers who blocked their path.

Over the weekend Benghazi airfield was busy with aircraft ferrying troops to the western mountains for the final push.

12.26Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council has told Al-Arabiya news channel that his organisation was preparing to move from Benghazi to Tripoli.

The heroic rebels have controlled almost all of Tripoli. Preparatory measures are being taken for the national council to move to Tripoli. Trips are already being prepared.

There remains some pockets (of resistance) that are delaying this move. But God willing, we will eliminate them within 48 hours.

The area around al-Azizya is still a hot spot. There are forces that continue to fight the rebels. He (Kadhafi) could still be in al-Azizya, or in neighbouring areas,

12.18 Damien McElroy, has made it into Green Square in the heart of Tripoli. Government snipers who had previously been opening fire on anyone moving into the area appear to have slipped away.

There is a look of disbelief on people's faces as they see burnt green flags and the shredded posters of Gaddafi. On one side of the square is scaffolding on which the regime had planned to hang the world's largest poster - around 300 feet - to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the regime on September 1. That poster is now torn to pieces. There's no sign of any looting or anything be broken into.

It was the biggest call of David Cameron’s premiership and today it looks to have been vindicated. His decision, along with France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, to press for UN intervention in Libya as Gaddafi’s forces threatened to massacre rebel forces in Benghazi has paid off. The extraordinary overnight scenes from Tripoli brought the Prime Minister hot-footing back from his Cornish holiday to chair a meeting of National Security Council.

12.05 Nick Meo has reached Zawiyah as he travels north to Tripoli. He reports seeing refugees heading in both directions - some fleeing the fighting in the capital and others heading back towards their newly-liberated Tripoli homes.

I've just driven through Zawiyah. I was here in July when the Gaddafi government people took me on a tour of the town. Then there were checkpoints manned by Gaddafi soldiers - now those checkpoints are manned by rebels.

The people like the rebels a lot more than the regime troops. My driver said the rebels wished him a good day while the government troops would demand papers and give drivers a hard time.

Nick says there is evidence of airstrikes on buildings all along the road. Most of the structures are likely to have been destroyed by Nato because they were housing regime snipers.

11.58 France's Nicolas Sarkozy will the chairman of the Transitional National Council Mahmoud Jibril and meet him within days, according to AFP. Not clear whether that will happen in France or elsewhere. More as we get it.

In January 1991, Saddam Hussein started to set fire to the oil wells of Kuwait – 700 in total, ablaze for ten months. There were fears that Colonel Gaddafi’s scorched earth policy would be no less dramatic. His congealing chemical weapons stocks were mostly unusable, and his soldiers out of reach of major refineries. But would he hurl Scuds towards rebel territory and NATO warships, or sabotage oil and transport infrastructure?

Zero hour – as the rebels have called it – dispelled all this. The much vaunted Khamis Brigade was nowhere to be found, and its barracks were ransacked. The defensive perimeter of Tripoli was unmanned. Hundreds celebrated in Green Square last night with impunity, even as a siege unfolded at Gaddafi's infamous Bab al-Azizya compound a short distance away.

11.42 Nick Meo is with rebel forces advancing on Tripoli, intent on reaching Gaddafi's al-Aziziyah compound. He says they are about an hour out but even at that distance there are signs of battle: burnt out buildings and no civilians to be seen. The rebels are in any vehicle they can get into - from pick up trucks to family saloon cars.

11.36 Reuters has spoken to a rebel commander who says the regime has stationed tanks near his compound in central Tripoli and is resisting rebel attacks.

The situation is not stable. There is gunfire everywhere. Gaddafi's forces are using tanks at the port and Al Sarine street near (Gaddafi's compound at) Bab al-Aziziyah.

The revolutionaries are positioned everywhere in Tripoli, some of them are near Bab al-Aziziyah, but Gaddafi's forces have been trying to resist.

(Gaddafi's) snipers are the main problem for the revolutionaries. There is a big number of martyrs, including my brother and two of my neighbours.

11.27 David Cameron's statement was relatively brief and there was little he could say as the fighting continues in Tripoli but here are the key points:

• Gaddafi's regime is 'falling apart and in retreat' and must give up without conditions• Two of his sons have been captured by the colonel remains at large• Dictator should face justice for 'his appalling crimes'• Britain can be proud of its military and its role in supporting the revolution• Nato airstrikes will continue until regime surrenders• 'No room for complacency' as NTC builds a new government• Britain will support new regime at United Nations

11.24 The Prime Minister was asked if Gaddafi should face trial. He replied: "I would like to see Col Gaddafi face justice for his appalling crimes against his own people but it's a matter for the Libyan people to decide."

11.20Cameron:

This has not been our revolution but we can be proud to have played our part. Today the Arab spring is a step further away from from oppression and dictatorship and a step closer to freedom and democracy and the Libyan people are closer to their dream of determining their own future.

11.18 Cameron: Britain will work at the UN to ensure the NTC gets the diplomatic, political and financial support it needs.

11.16 David Cameron says Gaddafi's regime is "falling apart and is in full retreat". He says Britain's role in the Nato campaign will continue for "as long as is needed".

11.11 Damien McElroy is with a a group of rebels being held a mile to the west of Green Square. He reports that rebel forces are all trying to make their way to the battle at Gaddafi's al-Aziziya compound but that snipers are so far hampering their advance. He says that a multiple rocket launcher is stationed near him but troops have yet to find a way to get it into position to target the base.

11.06 The situation on the ground is starting to move very quickly now, possibly a reflection of fighters on both sides rejoining the battle after a late start because of Ramadan. An official has told Reuters that his troops are closing in on Gaddafi's compund but facing resistance and that a "big number" of rebels have been killed so far.

10.55 Reuters is now reporting that loyalist tanks are near Tripoli's port and the leader's compound. This could be the beginning of a last ditch counter attack by regime forces.

10.48 Arabiya TV, a Dubai-based news channel, is reporting that Gaddafi's son Khamis is leading loyalist troops into a counter attack in central Tripoli. His troops are said to be heading from the direction of Gaddafi's al-Aziziya compound.

He is the commander of the Khamis Brigade, one of the best-trained units in the Libyan military. Its headquarters to west of Tripoli was captured last night by the rebels. Damien McElroy and other journalists filed from the abandoned base last night and this morning.

10.41 Early this morningthe chairman of the Transitional National Council Mahmoud Jibril proclaimed the end of the Gaddafi regime and a new beginning for Libya:

10.36 Rob Crilly files from Benghazi:

It’s a case of the morning after the night before in Benghazi, the rebels’ eastern stronghold. The courthouse square filled with people last night, cheering the last moments of Gaddafi’s regime. Others stayed at home to watch events unfold on television. No-one was in bed before 5am.

This morning the streets were quiet. Thousands of shell casings were scattered across the pavement from happy gunfire. And outside my hotel doorway were too battered bullets, which had fallen to earth overnight.

10.22 We're expecting the Prime Minister to make a statement on Libya at 10.30am. He will be the first world leader to speak live on the crumbling of the regime. We'll bring it to you here as soon as we get it.

10.19 Natohas said it will continue air patrols over Libya until all of Gaddafi's forces surrender. The alliance conducted 46 sorties yesterday, and 20,000 sorties in the past five months, including about 7,500 attacks against Gaddafi forces. That may be a source of conflict with the NTC, who have said they want the West to step back now that Tripoli has fallen.

10.10 The International Criminal Court is asking the rebels to hand over Saif al-Islam so he can face The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity, a spokesman said.

"The court as a whole is involved," Fadi El-Abdallah told AFP, answering 'yes' when asked if that meant discussions were underway with the National Transitional Council over al-Islam's transfer.

10.02 In Zintan, a rebel-held town near the Tunisian border, Nick Meo finds excitement and apprehension at the prospect of final showdown with the regime:

Men who have fought Gaddafi for months were jubilant that his regime was over but still expected die-hards to put up fierce resistance.

As they oiled guns and played with their children after finishing their Iftar feast, eaten after sunset during the holy month of Ramadan, their mood was excited after months of battle.

"Everybody wants to be in Tripoli now, a man called abdul said. "This is what we've been preparing for for months. We don't think it's going to be easy. He has thousands of men ready to fight for him. and we're worried he may be planning to blow up Tripoli.

"He has his slaves. they obey his commands, whatever they are. And they will fight for him."

09.59 Nick Squires files from Rome on the prospect of Gaddafi killing himself rather than face trial:

Abdel Salam Jalloud, Col Gaddafi's former prime minister and number two who fell out of favour with the regime in the 1990s, has said in an Italian television interview that Gaddafi does not have the courage to commit suicide in his bunker, as Hitler did.

Jalloud, who defected on Friday and turned up in Rome, told Italy's state broadcaster, Rai: "He's not like Hitler, who had the courage to commit suicide, he doesn't have that courage."

But it will also be hard for Gaddafi to flee Tripoli, he said. "All the roads are under rebel control."

Jalloud said Gaddafi's tribe is "honourable" and must recognise that the game is up. They should now abandon him, otherwise they will be left facing the consequences.

09.53 Mahmud Nacia, the charge d'affaires at the Libyan embassy in London, has said the National Transitional Council will create "a new government that rules the country and serves all citizens".

Speaking in halting English, he thanked Nato but said it was time for Libyans to take full control of the conflict because Gaddafi's "heavy machinery" had been destroyed. He added that the new government will move to Tripoli as soon as possible.

In the next few days we may face some difficult times and some mistakes may happen but we believe that our people are capable of resolving all the problems.

09.47 Earlier we reported that two of Gaddafi's sons - Saif, the most trusted deputy; and Mohammed, the eldest - had been captured in Tripoli. Matthew Holehouse has done a profile of the dictator's eight children.

09.45 China has said it "respects the Libyan people's choice" and said it hoped stability would return rapidly. The endorsement of China is crucial, as the burgeoning super power plays an ever larger role in development in Africa.

09.24 Gaddafi last night made a number of increasingly desperate broadcasts to the Libyan people. Here is one of his calls to arms.

It is not just a question of NATO being able to plunder Libya’s oil. There is also the strategic necessity of NATO having major bases in north Africa to take action against the Tunisian and Algerian workers and also against the Egyptian workers who are already moving against NATO’s chief ally in the Middle East, Israel.

As well, without seizing Libya and its oil, the plans of the EU to recolonise Africa and re-seize its gigantic mineral and other resources will founder.

Regime snipers are on top of buildings all over town and there continues to be shooting around Green Square.

However, locals are coming out on the streets to embrace the freedom fighters. Abdul Khalid, a shop owner in central Tripoli, told me: "We don't know what will happen. 42-years of Gaddafi killing us and stepping on our heads was too much. Whatever happens now will be better."

09.12 The Guardian's Luke Hardingreports that the fighting in Tripoli is far from finished.

Tripoli hasn't fallen ... we came under fire about five or ten minutes ago ... there are clearly some people who are extremely unhappy about the rebels. They are either trying to defend their property, as they see it, or just stop the advance. There are pockets of resistance all over the place - this fight is not over.

08.56 Last night it was reported that two South African planes had landed at Tripoli airport, leading to rumours that Gaddafi would be given asylum in Africa's most powerful nation. This morning Foreign minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has said Gaddafi was not being given asylum in South Africa and said no planes had been sent to collect him. More as we get it.

08.53 The European Union has begun planning for a post-Gaddafi Libya but has also called on the rebels to act with restraint as they take the capital. A spokesman said:

We seem to be witnessing the last moments of the Gaddafi regime and we call on Gaddafi to step down without further delay and avoid further bloodshed.

We have post-Gadaffi planning going on ... we do have a number of scenarios that we have worked in terms of our assistance post-Gadaffi.

08.50 We now have some audio of the arrest of Mohammed Gaddafi, the Colonel's eldest son, who was speaking live on Al Jazeera when rebels took his Tripoli home.

In the moments before rebels burst in, he appeared to admit the regime had made mistakes, saying:

I was not part of the security or official systems of the government to know what was going on. I think that the lack of reason and wide vision led Libya to where it is now.

Our problems were simple. They could have been solved.

08.43 Rebels are in control of around 80 per cent of the capital according to reports from the ground but there are still pockets of loyalist resistance. Heavy fighting has been reported around Gaddafi's al-Aziziya complex and near the Rixos Hotel, where foreign journalists are being housed.

They have announced the principles where Libya will be transferred to a position of democracy. They said very clearly there should no reprisals and order should be kept.

They prepared a very careful stabilisation programme that goes into great detail about how to secure power, water and electricity. If you look at the places they have taken over there has been no break down of order in these places.

That's what gives us the confidence that the NTC is aware of its responsibilities.

08.18Zak Yahya, a Lebanese blogger, tweets on the difference between today and the fall of Baghdad in 2003:

Hamas welcomes the entry by Libyan revolution fighters into the capital Tripoli and congratulates them on this great victory.

We hope this will represent a turning point in the history of Libya towards progress and prosperity in implementing the will of the Libyan people.

08.09 Just had a brief conversation over a crackly phone line with Damien McElroy, who reports that loyalist snipers are still opening fire across the city. He's been trying to move down Gargaresh Street, the Oxford Street of Tripoli (it even has a Marks & Spencer) but has had to turn back because a rooftop gunman is firing on passersby. A BBC team reports that it, too, has been fired on as it tried to move towards Green Square.

08.01 Damien McElroy files from the street in Tripoli:

People are celebrating in the streets of Tripoli following the release of up to 15,000 people who were believed to have been rounded up as suspected opposition by Gaddafi forces since the start of the uprising in February.

One of the first to be released, Ayman Ebrahim, 18, was freed this morning and was getting ready for a homecoming in Zawiyah. He was accused of providing a safe house for th opposition.

Here's some footage that captures the jubilation in rebel-held Benghazi and Misurata:

07.59 Activist tells Al-Jazeera that Saif al-Islam, the LSE-educated son of Gaddafi, was captured after his cousin, the son of Abdullah al-Senussi, Col Gaddafi's brother-in-law and security chief, was killed in a gunfight.

In extraordinary scenes, a column of rebel fighters progressed along Omar al Muktar Street into the Libyan capital city’s main Green Square cheering and firing celebratory gunshots into the air.

British and French intelligence officers were said to have played a key role in planning the final rebel assault on Tripoli.

Thousands of rebel fighters and Tripoli residents swarmed into Green Square — the scene of Gaddafi’s rallies at the start of the uprising — and began ripping down regime posters and stamping on them or riddling them with bullets.

They waved machetes and automatic rifles as they chanted victory slogans.

07.52 BBC Foreign Editor Jon Williams reports that both American and British diplomats have been working behind the scenes in preparation for the fall of the regime:

07.45 As the regime of 42-years collapses in the morning light, one question hangs above all others: where is Gaddafi? There have been mixed reports throughout the night that he had fled to his birthplace of Sirte, his ancestral home of Sahba, or else to a neighbouring country.

The latest report from AFP, citing a diplomatic source, is that the dictator is still holed up in his compound in central Tripoli. This morning there was heavy fighting around the al-Aziziya complex, with reporters hearing sustained machine gun and rifle fire.

07.40 Oil prices are falling as investors gamble that the regime's collapse will lead to increased exports. On Friday brent crude was trading at $109/barrel - this morning the price is down to $105.6.

07.30 Some footage fromSky News's Alex Crawford,who has spent the night shooting some of the most riveting and dramatic reporting from the Libyan capital. Andrew Hough reports on the race to provide the best television pictures.

As Col Muammar Gaddafi’s power “crumbled”, the three-time Royal Television Society (RTS) journalist of the year, reported live from the back of a pickup truck as rebels advanced towards the centre of the city.

The rolling news channel’s “special correspondent”, wearing a flak jacket and helmet, sat among rebels as gunfire echoed in the background in “celebration” at the imminent fall of the dicator's regime.

In stark contrast, the BBC only aired file footage from the outskirts of the capital that appeared to have been shot during the late afternoon.

Later, when the official Libyan spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, spoke to reporters in Tripoli, Sky was several minutes ahead of the BBC in carrying the press conference live.

07:06Damien McElroy, our correspondent in Libya, reports that there are wild rumours that Gaddafi has fled to the Algerian border in a bid to escape the country. Meanwhile, BBC Radio has reports of press photographers gathering at Tunisian airports hoping to catch a picture of the dictator should he arrive by plane.

06:57 A tank has been seen leaving the Gaddafi compound and shelling parts of Tripoli, rebel sources tell Al-Jazeera.

06:35 A rebel spokesman tells al-Jazeera that Gaddafi forces are still fighting in Tripoli, and control 15-20 per cent of the city (via Reuters).

06:25 AFP is reporting the sound of heavy fighting near Gaddafi's compound in central Tripoli. Fighting was also heard in the south of the capital from around 0400 GMT, with heavy weaponry and automatic rifle fire being deployed, it said.

Richard Spencer, one of our Middle East correspondents, said the area around Bab al-Aziziya, the heavily fortified Gaddafi leadership residence south of the centre of the city, and the nearby Rixos Hotel, where foreign journalists and some government officials have been base, is still under the control of the former regime.

06:11David Cameron has cut short his break in Cornwall to return to London and will this morning chair a meeting of the National Security Council for Libya, Downing Street said.

05:45Damien McElroy, our reporter on the ground, says that while celebrations continue in the renamed Martyrs' Square, Libyans are waking up to a new national order.

The hunt for Gaddafi goes on. In the cold light of dawn there remains parts of Tripoli where gunfire is not just celebratory but hostile. When that settles, the hard part of governing Libya begins.

05:37Julia Gillard, Australia's prime minister, has urged Gaddafi to "get out of the way" of the rebellion sweeping his country and said the forces fighting his regime appeared to be on the cusp of a victory:

Events are moving very, very quickly but it obviously appears that the rebels are in Tripoli, that the rebels are about to secure Libya overall. Obviously the task is not yet done but from what we've seen on our TV screens that appears to be what will happen.

We continue to call on Colonel Gaddafiof the way, and of course we believe that he should face the international charges that are against him.

05:00Good morning, for those just joining us here's a recap of the events over the past few hours:

•Rebel forces have swept into Tripoli, meeting little resistance from pro-Gaddafi troops.•The rebels have amassed in Green Square, previously the heart of Gaddafi's empire, tearing down and burning pictures of Gaddafi and celebrating in jubliant scenes. •Gaddafi's whereabouts are not known, but his son Saif al-Islam has been detained by rebel forces and his eldest son Mohammed is believed to be under house arrest. •Barack Obama has said that the era of the Gaddafi regime is ending.

Rebels celebrate in Tajura, a suburb of Tripoli

Here is the latest from our team on the ground.

Libyan rebels claimed they sent fighters into Tripoli in a dawn raid by sea, reinforcing gunmen who launched the first uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi since the start of the war. The rebels claimed that hours after they fought the first street battles of the war in Tripoli they had launched a daring mission to penetrate the capital, which until Saturday night had been considered Col Muammar Gaddafi's last stronghold.